Steve, a registered nurse, checks the blood pressure of a patient at one of the wellness clinics put on by the Dominican Sisters Home Health Agency of Denver.

Two Denver-based nonprofits — The Delores Project and the Dominican Sisters Home Health Agency — are among the 145 charitable organizations receiving cash grants through the Walmart Foundation’s “12 Days of Giving” Facebook campaign. The foundation announces a group of winners every day of the campaign, and will award a total of $1.5 million.

The Delores Project, a Day 10 winner, was awarded $20,000; the Dominican Sisters Home Health Agency received $10,000 for its Day 3 selection. The Day 10 spotlight was on nonprofits that assist children, families and those in difficult situations by providing clothing, school supplies, fresh groceries and nutritious meals, safe shelters — even children’s Christmas gifts. The Day 3 focus was caring for seniors.

The Dominican Sisters Home Health Agency has, since 1923, supported the metro Denver area’s poor, sick and elderly population with nursing and personal care, nurse case management, pastoral care and friendly visitors, exercise and a food pantry for in-home patients, so they can remain safe, healthy and independent at home. It is believed to be the only agency of its type in the U.S. to offer in-home nursing care for the poor, sick and elderly at no charge to the client.

Additionally, the Dominican Sisters Home Health Agency runs a medical equipment loan program that provides things like wheelchairs, walkers, shower benches and hospital beds to those in need
who cannot afford them. Dominican Sisters also provides Wellness Clinics in several low-income senior housing sites around Denver.

Executive director Krisandra Panting points out that the Dominican Sisters Home Health Agency operates on a $1.5 million budget, and “By keeping 94% of our clients out of nursing homes we save the state and its taxpayers over $20 million each year.” The agency serves between 1,200 and 1,700 clients a year.

“We rely on the generosity of the community — individuals, churches, foundations and businesses,” Panting adds. “We receive no government funding and no insurance, Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement.”

“Our nation’s nonprofit organizations are fueled by countless volunteers who help make a difference in our communities by giving their time,” says Julie Gehrki, senior director at the Walmart Foundation. “The nonprofits receiving grants were nominated by their wonderful volunteers, and we want to say thanks to all the volunteers who are giving their time this holiday to make the season brighter for so many families.”

Gehrki says that the winners were chosen from 5,400 nominations from Facebook users who shared photos and short descriptions of a favorite nonprofit and its impact on its respective community.

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.